‘Rurouni Kenshin’ Spin-Off Confirmed To Release Next Month; New Character Ashitaro Is One Of Kenshin’s Enemy?

"Rurouni Kenshin" is getting a spin-off series that will be written by its original creator Nobuhiro Watsuki and his wife Kaoru Kurosaki. The spin-off manga is expected to arrive in two chapters that will debut in Jump Square magazine. The series is titled "Rurouni Kenshin Ibun: Ashitaro Zenka Ari" or "Rurouni Kenshin Variant Story: The Criminal Ashitaro" for the English version.

Jump Square magazine's December issue is slated to hit the market on Nov. 4, Anime News Network reported. It will carry the first chapter of "Rurouni Kenshin Ibun: Ashitaro Zenka Ari." However, no details have been revealed yet about the release date of its second chapter.

"Rurouni Kenshin Ibun: Ashitaro Zenka Ari" is rumored to tell the story of a new character named Ashitaro who is apparently not introduced in the original series. Some fans speculated that he is just a character who could also be a familiar enemy of Kenshin. Ashitaro may have just evolved into a super villain and changed his name in the original "Rurouni Kenshin" manga, Geek reported.

It is not the first time, however, that "Rurouni Kenshin" creators created a spin-off of the well loved manga hit. The popular manga already received its first spin-off titled "Honō wo Suberu-Rurouni Kenshin: Uramaku" or "Controlling Flame-Rurouni Kenshin: Hidden Chapter" for the English version. The spin-off manga was released in 2014 which followed the story of how the manga villain Shishio Makoto met Yumi Komagata.

For the uninitiated, "Rurouni Kenshin" is a manga series that ran for five years in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. It was also turned into a popular TV anime series with 95 episodes. Because of its popularity, "Rurouni Kenshin" manga was also adapted into a film trilogy and three original video animes.

"Rurouni Kenshin" creators Watsuki and Kurosaki first revealed the manga in 1994. The story is centered on Kenshin Himura's journey to turn his back on being a deadly assassin during the Meiji Restoration. Check out "Rurouni Kenshin" TV anime below.